When actors film, they need a sense of conviction to support themselves when facing a vast green screen.
So, Rong Guang, holding onto the conviction that she must respect and trust Chu Feiliang, wiped her face with an expectant look and struggled to say, “Sister Lulu, is Teacher Chu… going to… accept a lipstick commercial?”
Wang Lujie looked like she was on her last legs, with no intention of covering for Chu Feiliang. She said righteously, “No.”
Rong Guang didn’t give up. With a final shred of hope, she said, “Then… what about lip balm? There must be lip balm…?”
Wang Lujie shook her head with a pitying look. “No, not that either.”
She had already said they were observing a lipstick mark.
How could lip balm leave a red mark?
Even if it could, it would be transparent. A transparent lip print, who was that for? Were the developers going to compete with the audience to see whose vision could return to 20/20 first?
Finally, under the vaguely watchful gazes of the surrounding makeup artists and script supervisors, Rong Guang buried her face, which was so red it was about to catch fire, in her hands.
On the other side, Chu Feiliang had already drifted over to Zhang Nanchuan’s side.
Zhang Nanchuan had known for days that Chu Feiliang wasn’t in a good state, so he hadn’t dared to provoke her, always speaking cautiously. If there were any issues, he would talk about others, never involving Chu Feiliang in the slightest, even though it had nothing to do with her in the first place.
Seeing Chu Feiliang take the initiative to approach him this time, Zhang Nanchuan was rather flattered. He said, “Ready?”
“Ready.” Chu Feiliang lay back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other.
Seeing her posture, Zhang Nanchuan’s heart stirred.
Under his gaze, Chu Feiliang swayed leisurely.
Zhang Nanchuan’s heart suddenly settled. Chu Feiliang’s state had indeed improved considerably.
He thought for a moment, then said tentatively, “Um, I saw Chacha come by just now. Did Xiao Rong come too? She didn’t go back to rest?”
“She came.” Chu Feiliang sighed, looked around, and noted with some regret that her own cup had been crushed by Wang Lujie earlier. She could only say with a look of pity, “She insisted on saying she was worried I’d be stressed these past two days and wanted to bring me some tea. She was quite unhappy when I didn’t drink it. Oh, by the way, she brought you a cup too, right? I tasted it, it’s pretty good.”
Zhang Nanchuan paused, using a great deal of effort to keep from splashing the water in his hand onto her face.
Could this showing off be any more obvious?
“You seem to be in a much better state.” Zhang Nanchuan placed the cup a little further away, stared at Chu Feiliang for a long while, and then suddenly said, “Let me ask you something serious. Regarding Xiao Rong, do you genuinely not understand, or are you pretending not to?”
Chu Feiliang slanted a glance at him but didn’t speak.
Zhang Nanchuan, however, had already withdrawn his gaze, shrugging his shoulders as if to say something. Then, his expression became natural, as if nothing had just happened.
After a while, the extras seemed to have been fully briefed, and the set coordinator came over to report. Only then did Chu Feiliang straighten her clothes, stand up, and say, “I’ve found a new state. My performance later might not follow the usual rules, I’m changing my approach. Don’t those old extras want exposure? You can stop bothering with useless things. It’s dark, and changing people will just cause delays. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll give it to them.”
Zhang Nanchuan was stunned. “If you improvise, even if you give them the chance, they won’t be able to catch it.”
—You think everyone is a Rong Guang? Humble, serious, hardworking, and talented.
He didn’t say the last part, assuming Chu Feiliang would understand.
“Whether they can catch it or not is their own ability,” Chu Feiliang shrugged. “If they don’t even have that much skill, what’s the point of thinking about exposure? They can go back to huddling together in the extras group. Who hasn’t worked their way up like this? You can terminate their contracts as you see fit, and they won’t dare say anything then. It kills two birds with one stone and even gets the job done for you. Isn’t that great?”
Zhang Nanchuan thought about it and felt it made sense.
Didn’t Chu Feiliang also get to where she is today on her own?
Despite her excellent family background, no one had dared to bring it up since her debut, nor did anyone attribute Chu Feiliang’s achievements to her family.
Who, after working with her, wouldn’t give her a thumbs-up and praise her for her professionalism?
Zhang Nanchuan drank the last of the water, smacked his lips, and belatedly discovered the benefits of the sterculia lychnophora tea.
It was indeed thirst-quenching and soothing. His throat had been hoarse from shouting all day, dry as if stuffed with cotton. That cup of water was truly comforting.
Chu Feiliang was leaning there, making notes in her script. Hearing the ‘glug glug’ sound of Zhang Nanchuan drinking, she looked up, pursed her lips, and said, “Are you that thirsty?”
Zhang Nanchuan was so taken aback by her choice of words that he nearly choked. After recovering, he said with a complicated expression, “Can’t you use slightly more elegant words?”
“Do I need to be elegant with you?” Chu Feiliang put her script away, setting it aside, and suddenly looked back.
Rong Guang, Chacha, and Wang Lujie were huddled in a small circle, doing something unknown.
Only Wang Lujie would occasionally raise her head and glance around warily.
She withdrew her gaze and couldn’t help but purse her lips.
Her eyes shifted, and Chu Feiliang glanced at Zhang Nanchuan’s lips, which were much moister after he had just drunk water. She couldn’t help but let out a disgusted “Ew.”
Zhang Nanchuan was finally angered by her disdainful look. He rose up in fury and said, “What is it now?!”
“Tell me, your wife is such a beautiful person, how did she end up with you back then?” Chu Feiliang wore a look of regret. “Look at your mouth, it’s not good-looking at all.”
Zhang Nanchuan was instantly struck as if by a bolt from the blue, frozen on the spot. He practically squeezed the words out from between his teeth, “What does this have to do with how good-looking my mouth is?!”
“Nothing,” Chu Feiliang smiled, having had her fun. “I just saw something better-looking and couldn’t help but compare and show off a little.”
Zhang Nanchuan: “…”
He endured it and endured it, but still couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with your state?”
Chu Feiliang’s lips curled up. “I know what I’m doing. I’m just suddenly happy.”
She had been inexplicably irritable for so many days, but as soon as Rong Guang returned, the dark cloud that had been hanging over her vanished.
Now she was full of energy, able to do everything with twice the result for half the effort.
It was just a bit of a pity that Rong Guang ultimately couldn’t last until Chu Feiliang finished her entire scene.
She was too tired. While Chu Feiliang was there, Rong Guang still had some awareness. After Chu Feiliang left, she was running almost entirely on instinct and a sense of righteousness, which was the only thing that kept her from falling asleep right there on set.
She had already been burning the midnight oil for a long time, on the verge of physical exhaustion every day. On the way back, her spirit instantly relaxed. After pulling another all-nighter, she felt a kind of light-headedness, as if on the brink of sudden death, her breath tinged with a metallic smell.
Finally, Rong Guang stopped forcing herself. She slept for a while in the car and was woken up by Chacha, who then dazedly helped her back to her room.
—Which was just as well, as it saved her the time she would have spent thinking about the lipstick mark that had previously occupied her entire mind.
Rong Guang only found out later that Chu Feiliang’s state that night was said to be excellent. After finishing one scene, she discussed it with Zhang Nanchuan and added another scene that was originally scheduled for later. A shoot that should have ended at one in the morning went on until past three.
The title of that episode was ‘The Eldest Princess Debates the Court Officials.’ Although she didn’t know exactly how the debate went, she later heard from many people that the set was so brilliant it was on the verge of a fight. Several specially invited veteran actors were in a frenzy of competitive acting, bickering and arguing with each other with great enthusiasm. Each one argued their case according to their faction, looking like they wanted to roll up their sleeves and jump into the fray, which gave it the authentic feel of a heated court debate.
However, the more heated the arguments below, the more Zhao Xiuqi, who was playing the emperor on his deathbed, coughed with delight, his whole body shaking like a sieve. Paired with his sickly appearance, it actually made him seem more the part.
Unfortunately, Rong Guang didn’t get to see it.
Zhang Nanchuan had mysteriously said that the scene was too brilliant and wouldn’t let her watch it, so that she would have something to look forward to in the end.
No matter how much a little cat’s paw scratched at her heart, Rong Guang couldn’t see it.
So Rong Guang could only express her regretful understanding and wait to start chasing the drama during next year’s summer vacation slot.
The following days seemed to return to a state of calm. Everyone was still busy. Although not as full of energy as when the production first started, everything had thankfully fallen into place and was running in an orderly fashion, which was fulfilling in its own way.
One day, Chacha received a message from Tang Yuan.
She even gave up her studies to wait specifically on set for Rong Guang to finish her last scene.
That night, after seeing the message, Rong Guang immediately contacted Tang Yuan.
Tang Yuan answered the phone quickly, her expression filled with gravity and a faintly suppressed anger. She said, “Star Cluster refuses to let you go. I’ve talked to them many times these past few days. Cai Xiang, including Chen Changping, are all acting like cowards hiding in their shells. None of them will show up to discuss this matter; it seems they don’t even plan to go to the company.”
Rong Guang listened quietly, her brow slightly furrowed, her fingers tapping an irregular rhythm on the tabletop.
Tang Yuan continued, “They’ve got it all figured out—you were on the hot search because of the Jiang Ruyi incident, not to mention that veteran seniors like Director Zhang and Teacher Zhao all stood up to speak for you. Even a big company like Big Dipper got involved and helped you clarify things. Your public appeal has been boosted wave after wave. Chen Changping and the others have long been green with envy, knowing your value can’t be squeezed dry in a short time. They probably won’t let you go until they’ve exploited you to the very last moment.”
Rong Guang thought for a moment and said calmly, “Have they made any demands?”
“No.” Tang Yuan frowned and sneered. “What right do they have to make demands? How long have you been unemployed? Have you received a single resource from the company? Before you went to film The Eldest Princess, you also signed a contract with the company laying out the terms. They’re clearly trying to drag this out until you die, waiting for you to pay the breach of contract penalty when the automatic renewal period arrives. They never expected you to find such a good resource at the last minute…”
Tang Yuan gritted her teeth, feeling more and more disgusted as she spoke.
There were too many small companies in this industry, a foul and murky pool of water.
Small companies didn’t have any good artists, let alone popular stars who could steadily make money at the moment.
But the cost of cultivating a newcomer was not low. The operational foundation of too many small companies relied on the huge contract termination fees paid by contestants.
After these contestants who couldn’t endure it paid the penalty, the company would immediately take the money to cultivate the next one, sending them wave after wave to those endless talent shows. Not terminating the contract was also an option. Too many companies signed long-term contracts, five years, ten years. Who has that many five or ten years to waste like this? And who would be willing to remain obscure for so many years?
And as long as one person made it big, they would always come out on top.
Just like the current NO.1.
Star Cluster was also impressive. They struck gold, launching four popular stars at once, and managed to hold on for three years without the company putting in much effort.
But the better Star Cluster did, the more Tang Yuan thought about the trainees in the company who were worn down day by day until they had no spirit left, who couldn’t even afford rent and had to live in eight-person dorms, and the more she gritted her teeth in hatred.
“Then let’s wait a little longer.” Rong Guang said unhurriedly, “It’ll be soon—they won’t be able to hold out.”
The deadline for her automatic contract renewal was only a month and a half away. She wasn’t anxious at all. The ones who should be anxious were Star Cluster.
She was also very curious to see what other tricks Star Cluster would try to pull.
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